Bookview Valley 4

Chapter Fourteen: Fresh Air

June 16th, Sunday

The time ticks on as we sit and wait. It takes forever, but no one dies. Finally, we receive notice from the nurse about our check ups. No one else has been poisoned. Many sighs of relief echo through the room, but I can't help wondering how we're going to eat anything else after this.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" I turn my head and find Ben's eyes on me.

"A walk?" I raise an eyebrow, "At a time like this?"

"From what it seems every one has died in here," Ben points out, "I'm sure the killer won't notice if we slip out the back."

I feel suspicion rise in my gut, "Why do you want to go for a walk?"

Ben's face shows when he realizes, "I'm not going to try to kill you. I just need some air, it's so...stuffy in here."

He glances around at all the people crowded around us and I can't help, but understand what he means, "That's fair. Fine, but we're not going far."

"Thank you," He gives me a relieved look, "I honestly only really trust you and I do not want to go alone."

"Come on, let's be quick," I turn to Nick, "We'll be right back."

He gives me a look, "Be safe..."

I follow Ben away from the crowd and out on of the back doors. We walk down the stairs and over to the edge of the forest. The air is warm and sticky, but a slight breeze relaxes me slightly. I'll be honest, the fresh air is just what I needed.

"It really was stuffy in there," I let out a relaxed sigh, "The air is so nice."

"Exactly," Ben breathes in deeply before sitting down in the grass. Sitting next to him, I watch as he picks up a piece of grass and begins to fold it.

"I didn't realize it until now, but I'm feeling really homesick," I chuckle lightly, "With everything going on I didn't really notice, but now that I'm out here..."

"I know what you mean," Ben nods, his eyes trailing over the large landscape before us; all trees and grass, "I really miss my sister."

"You have a sister?" I ask, kicking myself for not learning more about him.

"Yes," Ben laughs softly, "She's only twelve, but she's my best friend."

I smile, "I bet she loves you so much."

"I hope so," Ben's face falls, "but she's really sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," I put my hand on his arm and he gives me a thankful smile.

"She was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was nine," Ben confides, "The doctors think she barely has a year left."

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, "You didn't have to join us on this trip. If I would've known..."

"No, no, it's okay," Ben smiles reassuringly, "I wasn't going to come, actually, but she insisted. She told me that I needed to live my life, and she was done ruining it. I told her she could never ruin my life. She said that she wanted me to live, if not for myself, then for her."

"She sounds so sweet."

"She really is," Ben sighs, "I miss her so much."

We sit quietly, staring out at the woods across from us. Our clearing is small, but it contains so much beauty. It's like the woods have circled us into a small world of our own, where all of our doubts can fade away. However, lurking on the edge of my mind, are the thoughts of what's happening inside the Cabin not too far from us. I hope everyone's okay in there.

"We'll get out of this," I say, breaking the silence, "I'll make sure you make it back to your sister alive."

"You can't promise me that," Ben whispers.

"But I can try my hardest," My blue eyes lock onto his green ones, "I will try my best to get you out of here safely. That is something I can promise."

His smile is weak, "Thank you, Morgan."

. . . . .

When we finally go back inside our group stares at us with concern. I sit back down next to Nick, Ben sitting on my other side. The groups' eyes remain on me, waiting for me to speak.

"It was really nice outside," I say, "the breeze was amazing."

"That was a dangerous choice you made," Harper says.

"You could have died," Bri snaps harshly, but I know she's just worried about my well being.

"But they didn't," Nick sighs, "They were okay, and I'm sure the fresh air was amazing compared to this."

"He has a point," Rachel says, "I would kill for some fresh air right about now."

"And a non-poisoned cheeseburger," Lilyth agrees with a groan.

"Have they figured out lunch yet?" Ben asks.

"They're going to look for any closed food," Flynn informs us, "Like canned stuff."

Sebastien wrinkles his nose, "Fake food."

"Better than no food," Nick points out.

"Not too sure about that," Flynn shakes his head, before resting it on Sebastien's chest. Sebastien runs his fingers through Flynn's frosted tips. When Director Lockewood finds his place in front of the fireplace once more, we give him all of our attention.

"We have found some canned soup, and some canned vegetables," He tells us, "For everyone's safety we will be handing out the cans. You'll have to open and make your own food. This way it'll be harder for anyone to be poisoned."

There's some groans amongst the crowd, but I can tell everyone is just relieved to be able to eat; I know I am. It takes a few minutes, but the cans are all passed around and we're all making our way to the kitchen. We take turns using the microwave or the stove and soon we all have our lunches.

My group gathers back around the place that has been our spot for the past couple of hours. The room is hushed other than the sounds of chewing. I guess everyone was very hungry. It doesn't take too long for everyone to finish their food and soon we're wondering what happens next. All I know is that it probably won't be good. It's nearly two and we still have about four hours until our savior comes to get us. I just hope we can survive long enough.